Central Park, for the Camera

Originally published February 2013

I am so happy to share some of the photos I've been able to take in Central Park and along the Hudson on this Web site. See below for shots taken right after the blizzard, and for other favorite shots, mainly of wildlife in Central Park. This top section is from walks on Feb. 13 and Feb. 16.

These two are of the blue heron, the first taken on Feb. 13 on the west side of the Lake in the West 70s, and the second was taken on Feb. 16 on the east side of the Lake, also in the West 70s. I got to see him fly. He is a truly magnificent bird.

I was able to get closer to the heron on Feb. 16.

I love cardinals, the bright red so easy to catch sight of if you're looking and patient. These shots were also taken on Feb. 13 and Feb. 16. The park has beautiful cardinals, and although it is common to spot them, it is always exciting. My Mom used to say that spotting one was lucky, so I'm always happy to have a bit more luck.

I love the ducks in the park and along the Hudson. I've fallen in love with a lone wood duck at the Pond in the southeast part of Central Park. He swims with the mallards, and I've come to the conclusion that he thinks he is a mallard. The mallards tolerate him, and he follows them around, but sometimes I see him lead them as well. As you can see in my last post, I've taken lots of pictures of him.

There are lots and lots of mallards, at the Lake, the Pond and the Pool. But there are also other ducks, including, I think, gadwalls. [Editor's note: These are actually mallard hybrids, as your Chronicler was told later.] I had the pleasure of watching the gadwalls on both Feb. 13 and 16, including what looked like a mating session on the 16th. At least the head bobbing before and the wing waves after from both seemed to indicate a happy time. I guess I'll know more if I see lots of little gadwalls come spring.

There are many, many bird species in the park (today I heard someone say 350, but who knows whether he was right or not). I've seen hawks, wrens, sparrows, robins, blue jays, blackbirds and so many others. The titmice are particularly fun to watch, but they are so fast they are hard to photograph. So many of the birds seem so common that you often overlook them. So I include a photo here of pretty familiar birds that are nonetheless quite beautiful.

Winter Walks

Originally published February 2013

CENTRAL PARK AFTER LOTS OF WHITE STUFF

We had a major snowstorm overnight on Feb. 8-9, and I couldn't resist a Central Park walk on Saturday afternoon. I wasn't the only one. The paths when I got there in midafternoon were packed and icy from multiple feet tromping on them. Nonetheless, it was a great day for photographs. Here are some snow pictures, and then some shots from a Feb. 6 walk on a cold but less snowy day.

This is the Lake, looking south. The tall building to the left is the culprit for the dangling crane after Hurricane Sandy that closed Carnegie Hall and caused all sorts of other problems (of course, the loss of music was criminal enough).

Gapstow Bridge, over the Pond near the Plaza, was quite beautiful, and quite crowded. The ducks were happy to be swimming, although I was tempted to throttle a little brat who was throwing snowballs (while his dad looked on with pride and snapped pictures) at the hapless mallards. I did speak up, but I guess with the walker I didn't seem as threatening as I might have with a cane!

The wood duck (see below, on the Feb. 6 walk) was still pretending to be a mallard and just trying to make it in New York! (If you can make it there, you'll make it ...)

These mallards, however, seemed happy to be mallards.

On Gapstow Bridge there were two miniature snow people looking at the crowd. Quite delightful. The bridge itself was so slippery that although I had the walker, I didn't attempt to cross it. Several nice people warned me about the danger, and I got to see one young lady take a fall. That was enough for me. I love this bridge. It was the location for my final shot in Picture This, directed by Lydia Galeno. It was 100 degrees on the shoot date, so I've been on this bridge in all kinds of weather.

My bird-watching cravings were well taken care of on this snowy day, thanks to people who left oranges in the trees and held out peanuts in the hand to attract an assortment of cardinals, wrens, sparrows and titmice. This cardinal put on quite a show at the northern side of the Lake, and the red-tailed hawk below hung out in a tree, silently waiting, until with a squawk he flew off.

AN EARLIER WALK

On Feb. 6, 2013, I walked through Central Park and had quite a day with the camera. While I invite you to read below why losing weight, ducks and Silly Videos are related, I invite you here to see the pictures of the blue heron, the mallards and the wood duck I saw on a cold February afternoon. The photos, I hope, will give you an idea of why I'm having so much fun with my video projects.

This was the first (and only) wood duck I've seen at the Pond this year. It was quite magnificent, and just swam around with the mallards. Maybe he thinks he's a mallard?

Just blending in, just blending in.

The mallards, out for a swim.

And a blue heron, who took flight across the Pond, and back. I didn't capture that on camera, but did in my memory.

Meanwhile, at Bank Rock Bay, where the ice covered the water, I saw no ducks, but I did see duck prints on the snowy ice. The ducks themselves were in the Lake, going round and round in a pool surrounded by ice. This photo was one of the first I took on my walk, from the bridge separating the bay from the main lake.

These tracks put me in mind of Ancient Monster's paw prints (if you haven't yet read the last Saga, you might enjoy it on a cold, snowy night!).

Reservoir Ducks

Originally published January 2013

One of the many joys of having a hovel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is the proximity to Central Park, and therefore the proximity to ducks. For the most part, mallards. Their relatives might come to visit and then take off to migrate to warmer climes, but the Central Park ducks (and the Hudson River ducks) are hardy creatures. 

They hang around for hurricanes, they hang around for snowstorms, they hang around for nor'easters. And they are very, very entertaining. Another joy of living in Manhattan is the opportunity to walk through the park and check out the truly great survival talent of these magnificent creatures.

On New Year's Eve, your Chronicler took her handy-dandy Samsung Galaxy S to Central Park and recorded some of the ducks at the reservoir. It was cold, but the ducks still put on a show. 

The ducks are very photogenic. These pictures are of the Central Park ducks. Chronicler will dedicate some video to the Hudson River ducks at some time in the future.

This pair was photographed earlier in the fall at the reservoir. The other pictures were taken at various times at various locations in Central Park.

The ducks' sociability is intriguing. They will be moving in pairs, then suddenly you'll see a group head in one  direction or another. They'll preen themselves on the shore, and dive in the water, and then seem to move as a group to the other end of the water. But when the people at The Pond start feeding them, it's every duck for him- or herself.